RODANTHE, N.C. — Drivers can reach Rodanthe and the rest of Hatteras Island by road again. N.C. 12 on Pea Island opened back up Thursday afternoon at 4 o’clock, routed through a single-lane bypass by the visitor center on the refuge, ending a closure that began the night of Oct. 19 when a long nor’easter pushed the ocean over the highway.
Traffic now takes turns through the detour, one direction at a time, the North Carolina Department of Transportation said. The stretch stays an active work zone while crews keep repairing it, so drivers should plan on delays, watch the signs and be ready to stop and wait. The state has not said when both lanes will be back.
Dare County lifted its entry limits on Hatteras Island at the same hour, so visitors may drive in again. People with trips planned are asked to check with their rental or hotel first.
The emergency ferry between Rodanthe and Stumpy Point, running around the clock since Oct. 22, is winding down. Its final boats leave each side at 8 a.m. Friday.
This is the second time in about a month the same piece of road has failed. The latest storm tore up roughly 1,200 feet of pavement near the visitor center, less than a month after about 1,000 feet of that stretch was rebuilt following a late September washout. Island residents and county leaders have pushed to shift the road west, away from the surf, and someday to raise it on bridges. Road conditions are posted at DriveNC.gov.
For Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo and the villages to the south, N.C. 12 is the only road link to the rest of the Outer Banks, which is why each closure cuts off residents, workers and deliveries until the ferry or the detour is running.
Section: More Outer Banks NC crime news
Filed under: Outer Banks NC Traffic News
